Alexander House, Perthshire, Scotland

A chandeliered dining hall with spiralling turnpike staircase; a hot tub and a swimming pool; a gorgeous four-poster bedroom with an elliptical bath; stunning views over mountain and valley. Hidden high in the Perthshire hills at the end of a small countryside path, the brand new house gleams inside and out and is ecologically built. Water is from a private bore hole, there's a ground source heat pump and a reclaimed Scottish slate roof. At its heart, a vast, brilliantly light living space encased in glass doors and windows: a 14-seat pine table in the centre still leaves acres of space to curl up on huge tan leather sofas. Lounge on beanbags, cook in the open plan extravaganza of a kitchen (Le Creuset, a range cooker, espresso and ice machines, the full works). Out on the terrace is a barbecue, plus swings, a slide and trampoline. Inside play snooker – or cuddle up with a card game in front of the drawing room fire. Bedrooms are just as finely equipped: a gilded sleigh bed, solid oak four-poster, children's bunks, flexible set-ups for families, sofas in some and magnificent views all around. And of course, an indispensible muddy-boot room to greet you after a stomp, cycle or fishing expedition in Perthshire's wildly wonderful countryside – Gleneagles being just down the road. Don't hold back: this house was designed to be enjoyed.

Reviewed by Kash Bhattacharya:

"Bag the magnificent solid oak four poster bed on the western wing, which has wonderful views of the steeply-sided round-topped Ochil Hills, the Sidlaw hills and Gleneagles Hotel."

Read Kash's full review of Alexander House

How does Alexander House minimise its impact on the environment and contribute to a sense of place?

This new, sustainably-built holiday home uses a ground source heat pump for all underfloor heating and hot water, as well as to heat the swimming pool. There are also plans in the near future to build a wind turbine in order to further reduce their draw on energy. All of the appliances have been rated A, some light fittings even have 1watt bulbs, plus the buildings are extremely well-insulated, with two fires burning wood from on site. All toiletries and cleaning products are environmentally friendly, and there's a complete ban on the use of bleach, while recycling bins are provided for all types of recycling, green waste, food waste, paper, glass, aluminium and plastic.

Alexander House also sources all water from their own borehole in the Ochils, which is also the home of the Highland Spring. The water is also fed into the GHSP, which, in turn, feeds all the underfloor heating piping and provides hot water for the house. The remaining cold water is then fed through the rest of the house. The showers combine air and water to reduce water usage and all toilets are equipped with low-water flushes. Guests will be welcomed with cake from the local farm shop, which also offers a range of meat, eggs and other local produce. The house has also been recently refurbished using some reclaimed furniture from sustainable sources. The owners provide information on how to arrive by train (perhaps the overnight sleeper from London), so as little impact is made as possible on the 4 acre grounds, the Highlands behind Crieff and Aberfeldy, and the rolling farmlands of Strathtay.